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No. 47-Vol. XXIII. Friday, November 20th, 1925.
B.·,lStered at the G. P.O ••• a H_ .. paper
PalOS I'ooa.8'at..
SOUTH AFRICAN INDIAI~ CONGRESS
FIFTH SESSION AT CAPE TOWN
"Tf'lIIl~ fifth sepsion of the Sonth AfrICan Indmn
II COIl'.(Tl·IH was opened by the ~I.lyor, Mr.
W. F. FIHh, at the Clty Helll, C.1pptown. A.
l.uge number of Indi.1nH were pl'e"lpnt, tllf' grcdter
pOI'tlOn of the main hall bem/{ filled, a'l we'll as the
many tiprll of seats on the pldtform.
JInndrt'tillof telegram'! conveym'..: mf~s.~ag'el of sympathy
and cbeer wet'e recClved from UflNociattons and
individu.1lH throughout the country as well aA Indklw
A 8hmf of these cablf's and telf'grams W,1'1 exhibited
and some were rpad. One cable from l\f,lhatma
(j,lIldhi read: .. "VIBh Congl'cbH BUCCC'b:l ; have courage."
(J,oud appl.1usf>.)
Various tele/,,'Taml:! received from N.1tal RupportIn~
the aims and objects of the Congrf'Ps wt're mcln,Ipd
fl'om the uBKoCl.1tions find iwltvldll,lIs VIZ, MeS~ltl.
O. II. A. Jhaveri, EdItor,,; 'lIlHlh,' A M. Omal',
Amoll D.1wooll & Coy, Ebrahim 13 t~~ I, M D. MOtdtl,
Tunal Bros, S,lyC'tI Flikroodeen, Hoosen Khan. A.
H. 1\:.1)1), Tanul 1\Llha S tbha, Suburban IIll1di
S.luha, l\Iiankhan anti Emmamally, I3.t~',t Ltd,
Am,ou Hatrejee, 13. ]\f. Singh, ]\f. C D 111.1,
Otlman I3I'OS., l\1.mlOojee l\'Iof)sa, Patielar U mon,
Hurat Hindu AflAoC'iatwn, Kathiaw,\f Ary,~ l\I"nd,tl,
Parsnram Tailors As~oci'ltlOu, Hmdu T,tlllil Institute,
Bombay Presidency Association. Iwlt,1ll Women
ARsoliation, Younl.( Mpn's Vcdic Society, Lec1c;l1El
Nou-Ellrepe:m Auxlhary, .JnnctlOn Chll wool1 CongrtWl,
Manning' Pl.lCe Inlli,m A~soci,ltJon, K.1kni
An,iuman, Suburban Retail De,ll!'r;;, aUlI Zoroastll,m
Anjnman.
l\l,IllY letters of rrgrC't for abspnco were alqo rt'MI
from prominent citJ)lPlls. OnC' of the It,ttf'rR was
fl'om Mr. Morris Alexander 1\1 L.A. who Eul>! -
•. I vt'ry Illuch rpgret, th.lt I am nnahle to be
p)'esl'ut at the opening c('remony ot the Fifth SNl~\o1l
of the South Afril\m In,han Conlrrl'ss on 1\fonlI.lY
evening. . . .. I wish the Conference every 8UOcc~s.
I am SOrI y to sce signs of tIlsllIlion among
i4l'CtiullS of the Iudi,la commumty evcrywhelt.l In
South Atric.1. It is .ILove all nece:lS,lry to present .1
nniteu front anu to apt'olIe wlth one vOice. I hC.\1 tlly
agree. with the sugg'f'stlon of a Round 'f.lble ConfC'rence
at which Gn·.1t lll'ltain, India antI South
Africa wIll be repl'l'sC'u.d. 'fhe solution of the
pI'obIl'm mll"t be songht in the (,,11m ,ltmo~phel'e of
the ConfC'rence Chamber antl a JUilt solution mllst
be found ...
In opcning the CongrC'tl'! the 1\I.1YQr of C,lpe Town
~"tid :-
.. I IMve hNm askl'd to open thIS irnport.lnt Congrpss
tillS t'vening, and I have consPllteu to .10 flo) bC'­
C.lIIS(" as Mayor, I l'l'prE'sl'nt all claS'lt?s of lhe ('omlnunity
iI 1'('''lIl'Otl\ t' of r,lC~ or crep,!. In"", I nc,t
necf'stl,lI'lly be in a!-,'Tt:'C'll1ent "\\11th yon or 1,ll'lItliy
myself WIth your v\Cws oC'colllse I mn Pl rf..rmlng
thlS cerC'Ulony. But I know you repr'·",'nt very
large vested lllterests in tht:' Union of ~outh AfrIo~
I know also tholt you ,u-.~ 1'.11 t Ull(1 P,t! cd pf !l1C' IITC It
lllltish Empire, and as buch-l'ecogni"lllg the huerty
of the gre.lt lllltl~h Commollwl,llt h-you haH' t:'yC'l y
light to disC'uss matt"I'S l'OnCernlllg your well-lwing
all\l future St,ltU" in Sout.h Afric,l.
•• Tho Indians have Leen ill South .\.ftieJ. :linee
the year 18GO, dll,l no one will deny, they have
been good and Idw-llHdmg people. They are an intplhgent
anti tlll'lfty people. During the Great
Wdr Illllid supphed Its full quota of men, and these
men fought well and bravely. They rallied to the
Empu'e 111 the hour of need, and acquitted themsE'lves
like men, ,m.} hecause (If this alone they have
e.lliletl the right of freely expreasing their views and
pubhdy diRcussmg matters 1Il which their interest~
are involved.
" It is not for me to express an opinion as to the
glOunds of YOlll' /lllevances; these I must leave to
you to Ul.3CUSS idll'ly, and, I trust, dispassionately,
for, I sllbmit, nothing is ever gained by immoder,ltf'
J,mgll.1L(t'. More is achieved by diplomacy
,IllU cazeflllly thr)Ught-out argument.
Exercise Patience
" I h,tve no dOllbt a greolt deal of the trouble is
due to lack of 1I11IIel·l:!t.inumg, and whilst you ask
the ::-loath Aflie LIlol to ex~rCl8e patience, may not
you be reason,llJly a..,ked to practise the save virtue?
Perbon.Jlly, I do not consIder onr differences are due
to prejudice. I.lIn proud to number among my
friends m.Juy men ot Ea.stern natlOnality for whom
I iI,tve the VeJ'y WM'mest regolrd.
.. The, e may b~ dIfficulties of immigration, but,
surely, the"!I' .lre no more sever~ than the immigratIOn
l.lws of ArnCllCd.? Who of us have not read
of thp treatment which men reCClve at Ellis Island?
Rightly, or wrow:;y, n.1tions consid()r they hive the
right to reHtrict tlw number of immigrants to their
fl'hl)L>cti ve conn trl\ 8, I t cannot be right to allow unrl'stt'ictetl
iIl1rnigr,ltlon into a country. Governments
mnst protect theIr pl'ople or there is the danger of
an ahC'll po[ml,ltwll squeellrely, tli('y, too, must be protected against
mdl::,rnmin.1te llllllugration.
.. We mn"t not ue too eager to blame the Governmeot
of the lolnd.
This IS a difficult question. Per­